How To Get Your Halloween Costume On A Budget In Tampa Bay

Halloween is just around the corner and now is the time to start planning the perfect costume. Whether your costume is scary, charming, historical or just plain old fun, don’t break the bank in the designing efforts. Tampa Bay has a lot of local stores that offer a wide variety of Halloween accessories and entire costume packages.

Tampa’s Pirate Fashions is known for its authentic pirate-inspired styles that are a Gasparilla staple. Pirate Fashions has costumes for children and adults and even sells complete costume sets. For women, pirate sets are available as well as individual accessories and wardrobe pieces. Ladies’ petticoat dresses can be found in blue and purple for $29. A shorter, sassier skirt is available in a wide variety of colors for about $40 each. Authentic ladies blouses can also be found for about $40 and will make a great added touch to a costume. As for men’s pirate gear, authentic shirts and pants can be found for under $50. Boys’ pirate costumes are also good quality and can be found at an affordable price. But, every pirate costume needs great accessories to put on the finishing touches. Silk bandanas are just $12 and are available in different colors and styles. Other accessories such as ladies pocket pouches ($16), men’s pirate wallets ($10,) toy pistols ($4), plastic dagger ($8) and a hook ($3) are all on hand.

This Halloween, take on the Old Hollywood vintage look and stop by Sherry’s YesterDaze Vintage Clothing and Antiques for the perfect accessories for your costume. Items such as paisley dresses ($20), 50s era sundress ($65), men’s pullover sweater ($29.50), yellow trench coats ($39.50) and many other vintage clothing options are all in stock for around $50 and under. Accessories such as vintage purses ($20), hats ($25) and shoes are also the best addition to any old-school costume. Jewelry inspired by the 60s and 70s are all very affordable and under $20. Vintage-style clothes are also available for children and in different styles and prints.

Clearwater’s House of Make Believe is a professional costume shop that offers a variety of styles to make the perfect costume. In its recently new location, the House of Make Believe has a variety of costume makeup at discounted rates. Dress-up shoes for both men and women can be found for about $50 and include platform shoes and pirate boots. Costume packages start at $25 and include everything the costume needs to be perfect. Accessories including jewelry start at $5 and include hippy belts, Cleopatra jewelry and much more. The House of Make Believe also has a wide variety of wigs for both adults and children and with a plethora of inventory, there is definitely something for everyone. The House of Make Believe also offers professional makeup sessions by appointment so that your costume will look authentic come Halloween. Other than Halloween, the House of Make Believe has a wide variety of costumes throughout the entire year for plays, parties and, of course, Gasparilla.

A St. Pete staple since the 50s, Jay’s Fabric Center is a reliable stop to pick up materials for the perfect Halloween costume. While many party-goers are looking to save money and just worry about having fun this holiday, homemade costumes are an affordable way to get a great look. The employees at Jay’s are friendly and knowledgeable and can help make a stressful project quite simple. The center not only has fabrics necessary to make most homemade costumes, but also sewing accessories as well.

Fantasy Costumes of Pinellas Park has a wide variety of costumes for men and women in several different styles and genres. For women, there are costumes such as angels, witches, nurses, sailors and much more. For men, the variety of costume choices range from Halloween scary such as horror movie characters to vampires and even cartoon characters. Fantasy Costumes also has a selection of masquerade masks and costume makeup. Accessories such as hats, necklaces, glasses and even pirate accessories are all available at affordable prices. Ladies’ shoes including boots and platform shoes in all sizes and colors are all in stock. No costume is complete without the perfect hat, so whether it is for a gangster costume of a firefighter’s hat, Fantasy Costumes will have it. The shop also has a wide selection of Christmas-themed costumes as well for those who wish to switch things up a bit.

Head to CBS Tampa’s Best Of pages for more local tips on family fun, shopping, nightlife, food, culture and more!

Bethany Cohen is a resident of Tampa and enjoys sharing her love for the city with others. Bethany loves traveling and learning about new cultures. She currently writes for Examiner.com. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.